Mental health factsheets

The Royal College of Psychiatrists and Carers Trust (formerly The Princess Royal Trust for Carers) joined forces and launched the 'Partners in Care' campaign in January 2004.

The objectives of the campaign were to highlight the problems faced by carers of all ages of people with different mental health problems and learning disabilities and encourage true partnerships between carers, patients and professionals.

The leaflets which were published as part of this campaign are all available for you to download from this page. Many of the leaflets have recently been updated, a full range of leaflets can be found at: http://rcpsych.ac.uk/campaigns/partnersincare.aspx

Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction

Substance misuse harms a person's health. Dependence occurs when there is physical and/or psychological addiction and the person will have withdrawal symptoms if they do not use the substance. Their lives are dominated by getting and using the substance. People use many sorts of substances. These can be legal (alcohol, tobacco, and solvents), or illegal (cannabis, heroin and cocaine). Some prescribed drugs are addictive (e.g. diazepam). Substance misuse and dependence is increasing in the UK, especially among the young. Read more:

Most of us feel sad and miserable at times, but when these feelings last more than a few weeks and are so bad that they interfere with the person’s everyday life, professional help is usually needed. Read more:

Anxiety is a normal human feeling which we all experience when faced with situations we find threatening or difficult. In fact, fear and anxiety can be useful as they make us more alert, helping us to avoid dangerous situations and can give us the motivation to deal with problems. Sometimes however, the anxiety or phobia can take over a person's life. Read more:

Psychosis is a word used to describe symptoms or experiences that happen together. Each person will have different symptoms; the common feature is that they are not experiencing reality like most people. Some people only have a single episode and make a full recovery, but for others it is a longer process. As one in ten people with psychosis commit suicide, it is important to recognise the symptoms of depression.